A walk in the clouds

Dec 02, 2011

Pauline Narychkina

St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and its buildings have been seen and photographed a million times. But for those travelers who are slightly more adventurous, there is another option to see the city.

The rooftops are the good place to enjoy a better view of St. Petersburg's cityscape. Source: Raskalov's blog

St. Petersburg is built on a river delta; it is completely flat. So if you want to get a better view of the cityscape, you have to take to the rooftops.

Dmitry,
22, is part of a new generation of Petersburgers who have taken their love for
their hometown to the next level. “The roof, it is you. It is the place where
your inner world can emerge. Here, you can be yourself, away from the everyday
conventions down there,” Dmitry said. “Down there” he works in a bank, but in
his other life, he gives tours of the city as seen from above. During a three-hour
excursion, he might scale four rooftops in the historic heart of the city. The
tour might cover less than a mile and a half, but it is like visiting another
country. Each roof is different, and offers its own unique landscape and
atmosphere.

From a
building on the quay of the Fontanka River, opposite the circus, you overlook a
junction where the winding lines of car headlights and riverboats undulate and
interweave in a synchronized dance. Its effect is hypnotic.

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Near
Mokhovaya Street, however, the landscape is quite different. The many chimneys
and dormer windows form the framework of a hallucinatory vision. On the
horizon, the illuminated cupolas of the city’s great cathedrals – Kazan, St.
Isaac’s, Our Savior on Spilled Blood – and the spire of the Admiralty are all
aligned, like golden balls set along the tops of the roofs. In the other
direction, there is a maze of alleyways and a labyrinth of somber inner
courtyards. It is a parallel world, contrasting sharply with the bright lights
and non-stop traffic on Liteiny Prospect.

A few minutes
away, there is what may be the ultimate roof in St. Petersburg – a fashionable
building between the Hermitage Museum and the Marble Palace. From here, you get
an amazing, panoramic view across the Neva River in all its majesty. To the
left, there is the spit of Vasilievsky Island with its Rostral columns; to the
right, the Trinity Bridge, like a string of fairy lights and, opposite, the
symbol of the city the Peter and Paul Fortress, its spire like a spear aimed
towards the heavens.

Heights
can lead to vertigo, even in those not prone to it. In this case, the vertigo
is not so much a bad feeling, as a feeling of power mixed with adrenaline,
giving rise to a sense of risk and of what is forbidden.

The
blocks in the center of the city are no higher than six storeys, and so to get
a higher view, roof climbers have to be slightly more adventurous. They climb
up dusty granaries, crawl through narrow windows, and struggle across the edges
of slippery sheet roofing between the worn-out chimneys. And then there are the
guards, the surveillance cameras and watchful neighbors. But enthusiasts say
it’s all worth it.

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Dmitry’s
favorite areas “in the clouds” are in the historic heart of the city: Nevsky
Prospect, the Fontanka River, the Griboedov Canal, Sennaya Square and
Vasilievsky Island and, above all the Petrogradskaya area, which has infinite
potential and offers hours of roaming without touching the ground.

Roof walking
is increasing in popularity, and it is changing as it grows. “In the 1980s and 1990s,
you’d meet young, alternative types on the roofs, escaping from the repression
all around them. Since the 2000s, the movement has evolved, and new trends are
appearing,” said Sergei, a roof-runner with about 14 years’ experience. On one
side there are the hardened roof-runners, serious enthusiasts. They seek
achievement, speed, target impossible roofs, roofs that are under heavy
surveillance, or simply unusual places. On the other side, are the thoughtful
types, those who love the city, neo-romantics, who find roofs a place to get
away from it all. They go up there to
take photographs, to read, to reflect, to sunbathe, and to take advantage of
the sense of freedom of the senses.

There has
also been a notable increase in the number of websites and travel agencies
offering walks and organizing celebrations such as weddings and birthdays or
photo shoots on rooftops, at widely varying prices. Fancy bars, clubs and
restaurants have also capitalized on the trend, setting up their terraces at
roof level, taking advantage of the magnificent views over the monuments. It is
worth mentioning, however, that to take part in these adventures, it is
necessary to respect certain safety guidelines: wear comfortable shoes with
non-slip soles, carry a flashlight, keep your hands free and don’t hand on to
power lines.

One thing
is certain, anyone who has spent some time on the roofs of St. Petersburg may
come out of it feeling upside down, but will never be disappointed.